Method of separating adhering sheets by an air blast



Oct. ll, 1949. J. T. OHARA METHOD OF SEPARATING ADHERING SHEETS BY AN AIR BLAST Filed Oct. 12, 1945 /A/l/,ENTOR J. T O HA RA 5v ATTOAA/Ev Patented Oct. 11, -1949 UNITED STATES PATE-N T UF'F'ICE vlldE THOD OFrSEPARATING ABH'ERING :SHEETSBY AN A'IRBLAST J amesv T. OI-Iara, Dundalk, Md.,'ass'i'gnor to Western`Electric Company, Incorporated, NewYork, N. Y.,.a vcorporation .of New York Application October 12, 1945, Serial No. :621,894 l 2 Claims. 1

' This invention relates to methods of separating 'adhering sheets and more particularly to methods of vseparating adhering sheets of paper impregnated with cohesive material.

It is 'a well known `fact that certain types of paper are used for 'insulating purposes in the manufacture of magnet'coils, relays, resistors and the like. To'further improve Athe'insulating qualities of the "paper sheets, -they are often impregnated with beeswax or similar substances. In that casethe standardrpracticeeis toplace a ream of paper, such as onion skin paper, in' a vat .of molten beeswax whereby the entire ream of paper is :impregnated with -the beeswax. The impregnated ream then is `passed between rollers to force out the excess beeswax `and lis allowed -to cool. 'Upon cooling, :the beeswax assumes its `normal Ysolid -stateywhereupon the individual sheets of the "ream vof paper rmly adhere fto each other, forming a laminated paper slab.

In order that 'the 'paper may be `'used lfor its ultimate purpose, it is necessary for the manufacturer to 'cut the impregnated reams into laminated paper bars, which will .produce individual insulating strips of `impregnated paper having a l denite llength tand 'width However, .-in Lorder Eto obtain individual strips of impregnated paper., they must be separated from the laminated paper bar sheet by sheet, which heretofore has been done oy hand. The hand rmethod is quite :a tedious ;and lengthy operation due to the cohesive iqualities of .the .beeswax and the mechanical pressure that has beenapplied tothe impregnated laminated ipaper .bar during -the irolling :and cutting operations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide new and effective methods of separating adhering sheets, and particularly to provide new and improved methods of separating the sheets of impregnated, laminated paper bars.

The present invention eliminates the hand method of separating the sheets from the impregnated paper bar by providing methods wherein the edge of the laminated paper bar is subjected to a controlled air jet which separates the paper bar into its individual sheets.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an impregnated laminated paper bar is clamped at its ends to a pair of upright supports mounted on a suitable base, whereupon a r 2 controlled 'jet o'f `air ,is manually .directed .upon the edgeo'f lthelarriinated paper bar bymeans o'f an air gun. The strength of the air .jet fis adjusted at the .gun so that it hassucient lforce to .separate the .laminated paper bar into Tits Lindividual sheets.

.Aclear .understanding o'f the 'invention lmay lbe had `by reference 'to the vfollowing detailed .description of a method vand apparatus .forming one embodiment 'thereo when considered in con junction with vthe accompanying drawing illustrat'ing said embodiment, wherein the single iigure is a .perspective view of an apparatus embodying (the invention, which may be used 'for practicing a .method embodying lthe invention, having ,portions thereof broken away for reasons o' clarity.

ReTerring to the drawing, a rectangular base I'l) has secured to right and yleft ends thereof a pair of upright end members l'l and .1.2, respectively. A'rear'wall "f3 is rigidly secured to 'the base ID, and 'extends to the .extremities of the end members '-I'l Aand T2. 'The 'inside upper edge `of "the wall 'member' i3 `is cut away to form a recess I4 therein. A atstrip .I5 is secured to `the top edge of the `rearwall l`3 and 'serves to coverthe recess *Hl to 'form afgroove 'l 6.

.A Jfront 'wall "2'01is rigidly secured to the base l'll "and 'has provided therein a groove 2l, which is v'direc'tlyin line 'with the groove I6 of 'the rear wall i3. 'Rigidly secured to the base l0 andthe frontwall 2'0 `and adjacent 'to 'the 4left end Hmember :f2 "is a 'clamping assembly V22. The .clamping iassembly '22 'comprises ran Aupright sup-port 2'3,a U -shaped bracket 124 secured `on the top 'of support 23, a clamping bar 25 pivotally mounted in the U-shaped bracket 24 by means of a pin 26, and a spring 3U serving to force a lobe 3l on the end of the clamping bar 25 against a surface 32 of the upright support 23. The spring 30 is positioned in a recess 33 formed in the upright support 23 and is maintained in engagement with the clamping bar 25 by means of a pin 34 secured to the clamping bar 25.

An adjustable clamping assembly 35 is slidably positioned in the grooves I6 and 2| so that it may be selectively positioned between the end members l l' and l2. The clamping assembly 35 comprises a rectangular base member 36 which fits neatly into the grooves I6 and 2l. Rigidly secured to the base 36 is an upright support 31 having secured on the top thereof a U-shaped bracket 40. A clamping bar 4| is pivotally mounted in the U-shaped bracket 40 by means of a pin 42 and has a lobe 43 on the end thereof urged against the surface 44 of the upright support 31 by a spring 45. The spring 45 is positioned in a recess 46 provided in the upright support 31 and is maintained in engagement with the clamping bar 4| by means of a pin 41 secured to the bar 4|. The slidable clamping assembly 35 is provided with a locking device l) whereby the clamping assembly may be xed in any desired position within the limits of the end members and I2.

The locking device 50 comprises a hand wheel 5| secured on one end of a shaft 52 which is provided with a threaded portion 53 substantially at the other end thereof. The shaft 52 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 54 secured to the rear of the base 36 and threadedly mounted in a bearing 55 which is rigidly secured near the front end-of the base 36. A swivel 56 is rotatably mounted on the threaded end` of the shaft 52, which extends through the threaded bearing 55 and serves to press against the surface 51 of the wall member 2U when the hand wheel 5| is turned in a counterclockwise direction, thereby locking the clamping assembly 35 against horizontal movement. The end members and I2 are provided with apertures 60-60 in which is rotatably mounted an arm 6|, which serves to simultaneously engage the clamping bars 25 and 4| substantially at the ends thereof.

When it is desired to clamp a laminated impregnated paper bar 62 on the clamping assemblies 22 and 35, the arm 6| is urged downwardly so as to disengage the lobes 3| and 43 from the surfaces 32 and 44, respectively. The laminated paper bar 62 is placed on the surfaces 32 and 44 and then the arm 6| is released, whereupon the lobes 3| and 43 of the spring-pressed clamping bars 25 and 4| engage the ends of the laminated paper bar 62 and firmly secure the paper bar 62 to the supports 23 and 31.

An air gun 63 connected to a compressed air supply (not shown) serves to direct a controlled jet of air along the edge of the laminated paper bar 62 to blow apart and separate the individual laminations thereof.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows: the slidable clamping assembly 35 is positioned the required distance away from the fixed clamping assembly 22 to accommodate a laminated impregnated paper bar of a given length and the clamping assembly is clamped in this position by means of the locking device 50. The bar 6I is urged downwardly to disengagc lobes 3| and 43 from the surfaces 42 and 41, respectively, and an impregnated, laminated paper bar 62 is inserted therebetween. The arm 6| then is released, whereby the spring-pressed bars 25 and 4| firmly clamp the paper bar 62 to the supports 23 and 31. The operator then directs a controlled jet of air against the edge of the laminated paper bar 62, thereby forcing air in between the plurality of laminations and separates them one from the other throughout its entire unobstructed length between the supports 22 and 31.

After the center portions of the sheets are separated, the clamped ends of the laminated paper bar 62 are separated by first unclamping an end thereof and directing the air jet thereagainst, Then the separated end of the bar is reclamped and the other end of the bar is unclamped and. the air jet is directed against the free end to separate the laminations thereat.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of separating the sheets of a laminated paper bar impregnated with beeswax or the like, which comprises securing the ends of the paper bar between spaced supports to prevent movement thereof, directing a controlled air jet across the edge of the paper bar to separate all of the paper laminations intermediate the secured ends one from the other, freeing one of the secured ends of the paper bar, and directing the air jet against the free end of the paper bar to y separate all of the paper laminations one from the other at that end of the bar.

2. The method of separating the laminations oi' a laminated, wax-impregnated paper bar, which comprises securing the ends of the paper bar between spaced supports to prevent movement thereof, directing an air jet across the edge of the paper bar to separate all of the paper laminations intermediate the secured ends one from the other, releasing one end of the paper bar, directing the air jet thereagainst to separate the laminations thereat one from the other, resecuring the separated end, releasing the other end of the paper bar, and directing the air jet thereagainst, to separate the laminations thereat one from the other, whereby all of the laminations of the laminated paper bar are separated throughout the entire length of the bar.

JAMES T. OI-IARA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS 5 

